Folic acid, the manmade form of folate, is a vitamin that helps the body produce healthy new cells, according to WomensHealth.gov. If you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, one of the most significant ways you can lower your baby's risk of serious birth defects is to make sure you get enough folic acid every day.
Neural-Tube Defects
Folic acid is recognized especially for helping a developing baby's neural tube grow properly. The neural tube eventually becomes your baby's spinal cord and brain. If it doesn't develop as it should, your baby could be born with spina bifida or anencephaly. Spina bifida is an incomplete closure of your baby's spinal cord and spinal column, and anencephaly is the absence of a large part of the skull and brain. In the United States, neural-tube defects affect about 3,000 pregnancies each year, according to the BabyCenter website. You can reduce your baby's risk by 50 to 70 percent if you get enough folic acid each day.
When to Take It
Neural-tube defects occur in the first 28 days of a pregnancy, which is often before you realize you're pregnant. Because almost 50 percent of all pregnancies in the United States aren't planned, the March of Dimes recommends that you get the recommended amount of folic acid every day if you're capable of getting pregnant. You should also take folic acid at least three months after you become pregnant.
How Much
If you're a woman of childbearing age, you should take about 400 mcg daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As soon as you find out that you're pregnant, start taking at least 600 mcg of folic acid every day. Most prenatal vitamins have 800 to 1,000 mcg of folic acid. Avoid taking more than 1,000 mcg in a day unless your doctor recommends it. She may advise increasing your daily dose if you are obese, if you've already had a child with a neural-tube defect, if you have diabetes or if you are taking certain anti-seizure medications.
Sources
Many nutritious foods, including lentils, citrus fruits and dark-green vegetables are rich in folate. But your body generally does a better job of absorbing folic acid than folate, and you might have trouble eating enough folate-rich foods to meet your daily requirements. Although you could boost a folate-rich diet with folic acid-fortified foods, you're probably better off taking a supplement. Ask your doctor to recommend one that meets your needs.
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